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The day was December 25th. Christmas day, at around 11 in the morning. Hyperlaser couldn’t be any happier, he was so giddy that his tail couldn’t stop swishing back and forth in the hasty attempt to ready himself. He had a little turtleneck sweater, deep blue, and black slacks on to match. His helmet rested nuzzled on his head, the visor deep and tinted enough to not show the dopey smile the man wore.
Now, don’t get anything wrong. Hyperlaser believed Christmas was just a corporate holiday as Valentine’s or Halloween, and it was awfully confusing why his smile was so incredibly bright. He knew, however:
Katana would be here.
His friend, more of a boy crush, would be here to visit him in about an hour, and he had everything planned out perfectly. He bought things to make a lovely roast and soup, had a (hopefully sincere) gift in his bedroom saved for the ronin, and had his house warmly decorated. Subspace had caught on that the taller man would be visiting once Hyperlaser inquired about any holiday bonus. There was not. It would be fine, however, the mercenary worked with what he had, which was more than at least half of the population in Blackrock.
Princess, the cat who was more well off than Hyperlaser himself, snaked around the corner with her velvety, a little chunky body of hers. Hyperlaser immediately warmed up, kneeling down to pick up the cat and hold her like a little baby. She tended to enjoy the position, curling up in his arms like a small animal that she wasn’t much of anymore, Hyperlaser free fed her, if that said much. Setting himself on the small loveseat in his apartment, Hyperlaser gazed around to see if any last touches needed to be made. It was 11:47 by now, Katana would hopefully be on his way, or is already.
Speaking of an angel, his phone rang, which made the mercenary flinch a little. Too solemn, too silent. So he flipped on the TV first before answering the call. He could practically melt hearing the voice on the other line, it was Katana. The man of the hour.
“Hello, Hyperlaser.”
“Hey ‘Tana. How’s it going right now?”
“The morning with my neighbors was rather sweet. They gave me varying gifts, all very pleasant.”
“That’s wonderful, you have room for some more?”
“If it comes from you, dear friend.”
Hyperlaser could feel his heart nearly burst out of his chest. All he did was chuckle, however.
“The traffic is terrible today. It seems everyone wants to visit your area or something. Do you have other friends you did not tell me about?” Katana teased Hyperlaser, which got a laugh from both of them.
“No one except you, unless you consider Princess as my friend.”
“That is your child. I would not be surprised if you two had the same DNA in your veins.” Another laugh between them both. It warmed the mercenary’s heart when the ronin laughed, it made the Blackrock winter not as bad as it usually is.
“It should not be much longer, friend. The turn into your district is near. What number is your apartment?”
“3004”
“Thank you. I will see you very soon, Hyperlaser.”
“Will do, see you soon ‘Tana.” And the phone hung up. Hyperlaser held Princess a little closer and tighter after the call. He hoped this would work. So badly.
——————————
Katana was maybe 9 minutes earlier than the planned time at noon. He hoped it didn’t come off as a little urgent or weird, but simply due to his sense of time. Being on time was being late, in his book. He held two boxes in his arms, both wrapped in a shiny, red wrapping, and a yellow lace tied around them. One was addressed to Hyperlaser, and the other was to his cat, Princess. He had been busy knitting a little sweater for Princess, a little sweater hopefully in her size, white with little blue accents to match one of the sweaters Katana made Hyperlaser for his spawnday.
As for Hyperlaser, Katana used a hefty portion of his spending money on the mercenary. A detailed, expensive silver watch. The hands had intricate designs on them, with a beautifully chic background from the primary clock. Hyperlaser had gazed at it for longer than expected when the two were out together, window shopping in Crossroads. Katana took the jeweler aside and bought it for him, without the shorter ever knowing.
The ronin walked up step by step, looking at the numbers across each complex, searching for the number he was given. The air was incredibly cold, burning his lungs quite the bit, he wished he wore his mask like normal. His long hair whipped as the wind cut him with papercut stings. He finally found the number, and felt his feet rush a little more swiftly, huddling into his coat more tightly.
Reaching the door with relief in his head, he knocked on it gingerly. Standing there politely, with his chilly fingers trembling, no matter how big the man was. He could hear footsteps and soft hushes to the pet reach the door, making a smile form on his face.
“Hey, come on in. It’s nice and warm inside.” Hyperlaser gestured, seeing Katana shiver like he had seen a ghost. The ronin took the invitation and ran with it, getting inside as fast as possible, he could feel himself practically defrosting as he came in.
“Is Blackrock always this cold?” Katana inquired with some worry in his voice, setting down the gifts to warm up his pale, cold hands.
“It snows all year around, yes. But it’s never gotten this low for a while. Can’t imagine how cold you are.” Hyperlaser responded, the antennae on his head tilting down with remorse.
The mercenary approached behind the ronin, helping Katana slip out of his coat, holding onto his shoulders as he shrugged out of it. Hyperlaser couldn’t deny his face warming up as he glanced over Katana’s fit form. Gulping a little, he would stay quiet to protect his pride, or his dignity. Maybe it would be both, one just before the other, he didn’t want the older to catch on just yet.
“Uhm… I have some whiskey, if you would like?” Hyperlaser offered, starting to pull out a glass for himself. Taking in Katana’s nod, he grabbed another, adding ice and ginger ale with the whiskey. Pouring the two together, mixing them up to his pleasure, two little glasses of golden alcohol. Katana leaned against the armrest of the loveseat, letting his long hair fall to the side as he watched Hyperlaser bring a drink to him. The two would end up sitting next to each other, being comfortable in silence for a while. The only thing separating the two was Princess in the middle.
“Why didn’t you wear your mask?” Hyperlaser inquired, breaking the silence in the room, minus the soft chatter from the TV.
“I wanted you to see me without it. I remembered you saying that you wish to see me more often without my mask, so as a treat.” Katana warmly smiled, looking into Hyperlaser’s visor.
“Oh— Uhm, you don’t gotta do that for me. Y’know that, right?” Hyperlaser felt blush creep up his neck further. He’s more resilient to alcohol than this, no?
“I wanted to. I trust you more than enough, after all.” Katana reached a hand onto the other’s shoulder, rubbing circles into it. The room felt warmer than Temple’s summer, for the both of them. Katana stopped the gesture rather quickly, but Hyperlaser quietly yearned for more, his way of doing that is through switching the topic.
“I’ve gotta get on cooking…” Hyperlaser stood up, stretching out his arms a little, his tail swishing behind him lazily.
“Oh?” Katana raised a brow, “What are you making?”
“Just some vegetable soup with beef… Nothing special, just to help with the cold.” Hyperlaser responded, opening the fridge to find the ingredients he needed. Katana hummed in agreement, however you could see a smile scrawl on his face.
“I find it sweet that you started cooking again.” Katana said with a soft tone. Hyperlaser used to buy out pretty much every night, but Katana did teach the younger how to cook some meals to sustain himself. This wasn’t one of them either, which means he kept on trying even afterwards.
“It’s cheaper… Been using your tips, finding recipes, y’know.” Hyperlaser chuckled a bit, a fond smile underneath his helmet as he started cutting up the beef roast into cubes, cutting off any excess fat that wasn’t completely needed. He analyzed everything like a chef now, after Katana taught him some things. It was impressive, from a man who used to buy the cheapest thing would now look for fat marbling, or discoloring. He really did change due to the ronin, all good things.
He poured some olive oil into a pan, a large flat one. Turning the pan around to coat the sides, the olive oil slid down each corner with haste. He then let the pan heat up as he seasoned the beef. Paprika, thyme, rosemary, garlic… Everything earthy and delicious were poured metrically into a large bowl, one tablespoon at a time. He swirled the bowl around, allowing all the herbs to mix together, and added his meat to start coating each side with it, his hands mixing up the cubed beef to stick each of 6 sides with seasonings and wonderful aroma.
He was so enamored, so ‘locked in’ as the kids would say, on cooking this meal that he didn’t realize Katana moved to look into the pass-through window. When the mercenary had looked up, he flinched a bit, making the two of them laugh. Katana had been holding Princess in his arms, the same baby cradle as before. Her ears perked up as she heard Hyperlaser chuckle, receiving a little scratch on the head as compensation.
“Gonna make me another drink… Want one?” Hyperlaser asked, preferably much smoother than he anticipated.
“Please,” Katana replied, rocking Princess in his arms a bit more, before lowering her to the floor. Hyperlaser smiled fondly at the two. It only made him want this confession thing to work even more.
The same ginger ale whiskey mixture was made for both of them, in a larger glass than before. Hyperlaser sat back down on the loveseat, Katana soon to follow. They spoke, and spoke, and chatted even more.
Five seconds turned into five minutes,
To fifteen minutes,
Until,
“What is that smell, dear friend?” Katana asked, a pungent odor seeping throughout the apartment.
“Oh shit!” Hyperlaser cursed, scrambling to his feet. He had forgotten to set a timer on, and the unpleasant scent teased at the consequence. And that would be the case.
Hyperlaser rushed into the kitchen, only to be heartbroken by the burnt food inside of the pan. The cubed beef was absolutely charred, and there was really no saving it there. His tail slumped down, along with the antennae on his helmet. His legs became weak, but not enough to trample to his knees, that would seem pathetic. He hugged himself a bit, then threw the food away in despair.
“Sorry,” Hyperlaser said under his breath “I just wanted to make you something nice. I apologize.”
“Your thoughts alone fill my heart. Never apologize for a mistake.” Katana rubbed loving circles on the other’s back. Hyperlaser leaned into it with a little hesitation, feeling embarrassed.
“I enjoy being around you, being your company, it is more than enough just to be here. How about, we order some food, and participate in gift giving? The day is still young.” Katana reassured with a smile in his voice, looking at Hyperlaser with loving eyes. The younger nodded, letting go of a breath he didn’t realize he held.
“Thank you… I— You don’t have to be like this. You could’ve left, I wouldn’t blame you—“
“Nonsense, Hyper. It is Christmas, you never celebrate, and seeing you even try to be festive for me is more than enough. I appreciate it all so deeply, my friend.” Katana pulled Hyperlaser into a gentle hug, which was strange for the both of them. The mercenary assumed that the ronin was naturally more touchy as he felt more sympathetic, that didn’t stop him from wagging his tail a little.
“Okay big guy… Let's order some food, like you said.” Hypertana patted the ronin’s back, chuckling a little.
Hyperlaser tasked Katana with ordering food as he grabbed the gifts. Katana took the task with enthusiasm, calling the restaurant chosen. Ending the order, Katana sat on the loveseat, scratching Princess’s head. He wondered what was taking the mercenary so long, minding it off as a possible missing item or simply taking his time.
As for Hyperlaser, he felt terribly anxious. The gifts were all there, yes, but this would either make or break everything the two had. He planned on confessing to Katana. As in, a more-than-friends confession. He kept thinking of what to say, he wrote a lengthy note in the card he bought for the ronin. He hoped it would work, the embarrassment of the food earlier made him only more anxious about it. The mercenary took a deep breath, and grabbed the boxes.
“It’s just ‘Tana. Calm down. He won’t hate you.” He reassured himself, and started walking down the corridor of his apartment. His palms started to sweat, but in a good-bad-mixed-up way.
“There you are, friend.” Katana relieved the breath that he held. Princess got up from her spot on the loveseat to rub her body across Hyperlaser’s legs.
“Apologies, I was making sure I had your card.” Hyperlaser lied through his teeth, Katana could easily tell. The ronin didn’t pry, however. He could tell that the man was more sweaty than before, which was not at all.
“No need for apologies, now sit down,” Katana patted the seat next to him, reaching over for the gifts designated for Hyperlaser and Princess, “I even got one for your little girl.”
“You did?” Hyperlaser asked, a smile in his voice. Katana nodded, handing him the box that said ‘To: Princess’ with a little cat doodle on the side. It made Hyperlaser chuckle a bit.
Unwrapping the scarlet wrapping, and opening the box, Hyperlaser was faced with a little sweater, white and blue. He grinned upon seeing it, being similar to the sweater he received from Katana on his spawnday. He held up the sweater to see it in full.
“Isn’t it lovely, sweet Princess?” Hyperlaser said fondly as he slipped the sweater onto his cat. It fit incredibly well for a hand knitted, no measurement cat sweater. Katana cheered for himself inside, happy that the gift would actually be functional.
“She’s gonna gain an ego looking that stylish.” Hyperlaser joked, causing Katana to smile as well.
“At least she can look stylish with you.” Katana replied, earning an amused huff from Hyperlaser. The ronin handed over the other box with enthusiasm, he hoped the mercenary would at minimum like it.
“Aww, a box? You shouldn’t’ve.” Hyperlaser spoke in a teasing tone, leading to a light punch in the shoulder.
“Open the box, before I do it myself.” Katana joked, getting Hyperlaser to finally open the thing with a laugh or two.
It was a small, black box with a velvety texture. The box alone had value, which took Hyperlaser by surprise. He slowly opened the box to be shown a beautiful, deep silver watch. A gasp emitted from the mercenary. The watch was shining in the warm light of the apartment, Katana smiling in excitement. Hyperlaser picked up the watch gingerly, gazing at it with such awe. His fingers were jittering just a bit, running his thumb across the elegant steel.
“Katana… Oh swords.” Hyperlaser was completely blown away. He would constantly think of that watch, ever since he saw it in a jeweler in Crossroads. He looked over at Katana, who was smiling with sincerity, leaning over to hug him. The ronin wished to reciprocate faster than he could.
“Merry Christmas, my friend.” Katana said, holding Hyperlaser a little tighter, a little closer. The younger thanked him, and eventually pulled away, trying on the watch. Silver seemed to really be his metal, it fit him perfectly, said silently what he was. Katana felt even happier when the watch was put on, his nose crinkling from his grin.
“Okay… Now your turn.” Hyperlaser said, grabbing the box addressed to Katana. It was a good ‘medium’ size, the wrapping paper being a matte blue with little silver accents. Katana took the box and held it close to him.
“I already know I will love it.” Katana said, grinning as he carefully unwrapped the box. It filled Hyperlaser with anticipation. He knew what was in there, why was he so anxious? There were many parts to this night. When opening the box, Katana made a small inhale, his eyes widening in joy.
It was a picture. Framed and all. It would seem stupid to enjoy a picture, but Katana could nearly cry at it.
Hyperlaser doesn’t take photos often, except for when he’s really in the moment. The photo had him and Katana together, along with the three neighbors from Thieves Den. It was from Katana’s spawnday in September, where they all went to a festival. The scenery was covered in beautiful lanterns and shops behind them. The pink inphernal sat next to Katana, while her blue and green counterparts stood behind the three of them. Hyperlaser had his head leaning on Katana’s shoulder, and holding him by his side. They all looked so happy, you could even tell from the way Hyperlaser’s shoulders were relaxed, and the way Katana leaned in his touch.
It was terrific. Katana had to hold himself together a bit.
“Hyperlaser,” Katana said, with a mildly shaken voice, “I couldn’t ask for anything better.” A smile formed on his face. Hyperlaser’s shoulders relaxed, hoping for the longest time that Katana would like it. He spent practically the whole fall deciding what to get for Katana. And he’s happy he landed on it.
There was still a card, however. In Hyperlaser’s hands.
“Before you start crying,” Hyperlaser teased, making the ronin chuckle, “You still gotta read your card.” He then handed the small, red card. It had Katana’s name on it, along with postal information in case he couldn’t show today. The ronin accepted the mercenary’s card, smiling even harder than before. Hyperlaser crossed his fingers once again.
Opening the card, there was a rather lengthy message inside, it wrote:
“To my dearest friend,
I hope this finds you well, especially on the holidays. I cannot thank you enough for the light that you brought into my life. I felt dim, even dark, before you said hello to me at the bar many years ago. You gave me something to fall asleep to, you gave me something to live for, you made me a little afraid of dying. The point is, I wanted you to know just how thankful I am for you. More than just a friend, but someone whom I love. You showed me how it feels to be loved, how it feels to be cared and respected for. And I want to give that to you so badly, in hopes that I am doing enough. I love you. I want to say I love you vocally, but I can’t bring myself to say it. So here I do it, professing my love inside of a Christmas card. I love you to the deepest of my heart, Katana.
From your friend in Blackrock,
Hyperlaser”
The ronin sat for a moment, looking at the card with feelings stirring in his stomach. Hyperlaser began to worry, before Katana looked his way with a smile.
“May I do something?” Katana asked, setting the card down next to him.
“I mean— Sure. It’s Christmas.” Hyperlaser said, chuckling nervously.
Katana leaned over, and started removing Hyperlaser’s helmet. The mercenary gripped at the other’s shoulders, just enough to know where he was. He couldn’t see well without it. When it came fully off, Katana set it on the coffee table in front of them, holding onto Hyperlaser still. He let his hands hold the side of the mercenary’s scarred face…
And he kissed him.
Hyperlaser’s eyes widened at first, but easily melted into the kiss. It was soft, it was slow, it wasn’t frantic or urgent or anything worth anxiety. It was just peaceful. Peaceful as the both of them needed, peaceful as the way they felt with each other.
Peaceful.
They eventually pulled away. Hyperlaser couldn’t tell much of how Katana looked, but from the little happy noises the ronin made, they both wanted this for a while. So they kissed once more, more reassured than the last.
And that night, with delivered soups and sandwiches from a cafe in Recreational Blackrock, the two sat together watching Christmas movies. Hand in hand, occasionally looking at each other. Swishing of the tail from Hyperlaser, and a little hand squeeze from Katana. They could get used to this. Really easily.
Merry Christmas, folks!